Have You Ever Wondered ?
by knightofkneek
Summary: A collection of short stories from each of the main character's perspectives. Zidane is finished, as are Garnet and Vivi.
1. Kiss From a Rose

Kiss From a Rose  
by Kaitlyn Summers  
(from Zidane's pov)  
  
I have to smile to myself as I remember where we met; how fate had   
decided to entwine us together at that time, that place, that moment. She  
had been surprised to see me, and I her; the look on her face could have  
made a thousand hearts break. She had looked distraught; depressed; she   
looked as if all she had held dear had been taken, tossed, thrown out an   
open window to land, shattering, on the streets below.  
  
Fate had brought us together because it chose to; it chose us to make  
something beautiful, pure, again out of the world. That is why Cid sent us,  
sent us to Alexandria's hollow halls to retrieve the beauty that had been   
left there. Garnet was like a rose in a thorn patch; the light shining in  
the dark; where there was no hope left for what had remained of good people.  
  
Garnet had been there to do what she could about everyone; worry,  
help, triumph. She had brought the good from the bad in all those times that  
I needed her; that so did everyone else. Vivi, Eiko, Freya, Beatrix.  
  
They had all needed her as I did, they needed her because she was   
kind, beautiful, loving. Vivi had needed her advice, support, love. Eiko  
was there as a friend, as was Beatrix. But Alexandria's General had been  
blinded by ambition, blinded by those dreams of Brahne that she couldn't see  
her way clear. Beatrix had done simply as the Queen had said, while not   
knowing that she was hurting Garnet; she only knew orders and what would  
become of her if she hadn't obeyed. And Freya... She only knew Garnet as a  
mere aquaintance while I was there, but the two had seemed to be warm in   
greetings and polite in farewells.  
  
Yet as I bring up these memories, I recall all those things that  
she had said to me. As we traveled across the world, the sights we had seen,  
the people we met, and even more were to come. Garnet had remained steadfast  
and headstrong to help her mother, to seize and capture whatever it was that  
drove Brahne to the edge of sanity, ambition. Blinded by greed.  
  
Of all these things, these ashes of what had been said and remembered,  
rises a phoenix of the sort that I had been blind to see. Garnet had always  
cared for everyone ... but I wonder if she had the eyes to see the way I felt  
to her, wanted her, needed her. Maybe she had always and only loved me as   
she did Vivi or Eiko. Even if she never does or ever did care for me the way  
I do for her, I always remember how close we are and were, even that night   
in Alexandria. It seems like so long ago ...  
  
I suppose I had replaced all her wants, needs, suffering of being   
bound like a bird in a cage, just as she was trapped within the bare, hollow  
walls of Alexandria Castle. The way they had hunted her, tricked, lied to her  
was and is still enough to make me drop of the edge of my sanity. Garnet  
had never deserved to have her heart broken, for when she had heard the  
awful truth, the only thing she thought of was her mother. Brahne had either  
had very little love or none at all for her daughter, for even I don't know   
how she could plot such a scheme. Garnet had brought this to everyone's attention,  
I suppose, but why they didn't listen ... It could have saved many lives, many  
broken homes, and even worse still, abandoned kingdoms and crownless kings.  
  
And the one person that stands out, to me, more than the Princess which  
I hold dear ... the sinister Kuja. I can believe what he wants with Garnet, what   
needs he wants to serve while watching her sweet face retaliate in disgust at  
his touch. I had been there when this happened; watching in distraught awe at  
how much power he had held, simply in his hand ... and even worse still, the   
bravery, intelligence and brilliance had been acquired throughout his service   
to the sloggish Queen Brahne.  
  
So now new thoughts come to me, as I forget the past and look to the future.  
The past is no longer dull and solemn, but a reminder, a legend of what myself and  
my friends had been through. And through it all, we had become wiser, smarter,  
but above all, stronger. The events which had brought us close have also binded us,  
bound us, together, forever and always.   
  
As I thought before ... Garnet is a rose in a thorn patch.  
  
And a word from her voice, a smile from her face, the sparkle of her eyes ...  
It's more than the greatest thing I could ever wish for. Happiness. Bliss.  
  
... A kiss from a rose.  
  



	2. Thief of Hearts

Thief of Hearts  
by K.S.  
(from Garnet's pov)  
  
As crude and low as he may have seemed, I had dectected,   
sensed something warm and kind. The feeling came from the heart, and it  
almost seemed to be able to be seen in a faint glowing, radiating a love a  
nd compassion that was unknown to me. He had shown me a different sort   
of love from which I had been accustomed to; the fading love from my mother,   
bound by cold stone walls. By greed. In a way, the walls were a comfort,   
knowing that I was protected and could never be harmed by the horrors of the   
outside world. Horrors and things which I had never seen or experienced; and   
things that also made me see what was truly happening.  
  
Yet when that mysterious theif caught me down the hallway of   
Alexandria, and he looked into my eyes, I saw that kindness and love deep behind  
a smooth surface. It was like astone, that moment, being dropped into a pool of  
calm water. The stone had caused change; like we did in each other. Zidane   
obviously saw something in me, and I, being a princess, did not know what to do or   
say. He swept me off my feet like the prince he was, and carried me away from   
my troubles, my fears, my worries. But most of all he shielded me from ever being   
trapped again insde the empty, lifeless halls of Alexandria Castle. I was trapped,  
elusive and blind; blinded by the shadows of lies that my mother had told me.  
  
I was haunted by memories; those past times of long ago when my   
father was stillalive, when I was happy and innocent. Those times were a reminder   
of what could have been, not what it is now, for if my father hadn't gone ... Mother   
would probably be the same as she was when he was there to hold her, love her,   
tell her everything would be fine ... And I wish that someone where here to do the   
same for me; telling me that they'll do everything they can, that everything will turn out   
for the best. And he could even be here now ... but I, having the life that I do, ignorantly   
pushed him away ...I sent him on his way, and I went on mine, simply over not agreeing   
on something trivial.  
  
The gift of music and magic that was given to me was not asked for; but   
rather a hidden present among the things I treasured. Magic I had feared at first for   
its power, but as time wore on ...It also, like my mother's love, began to fade. The   
song which haunts me from my past has always made me feel like I'm not alone, the   
tones of music cheering my ears and lightening my heart and mine only.   
  
Only twice had he heard me sing this song, once in the village of Dali and   
once in the relam of Lindblum. The castle of Lindblum was different, somehow ... I   
think it was because he went to a length to see me, to check on me. He had heard   
the notes of music float through the window, and it made him find me ... For this, I   
was grateful.  
  
Zidane was there to do the same, uknowing and unconscious of how he   
made me feel ...He made me feel better about myself, the situation, and the people   
around me. He also made me see the whole thing, the big picture, of what was really   
happening ... Zidane opened my heart to what I had refused, had not wanted to see   
before I learned the truth. My world was shocked, violently, and suddenly I was   
pushed into a conflict which I had no clue of, and had wanted no part in. Zidane had   
adapted to the idea quickly, and I did, too, with his encouragement.   
  
Memories of what had been before that night, my sixteenth birthday,   
always make me think of all the things I had, and wanted, but most of all ... needed.   
Mother had given me whatever I wished for when I was a child, but as I grew, I found   
that she had grown apart, distant, and far out of my reach. She never knew what I truly  
wanted, what I desired, and she tried so hard ... I didn't have the heart to tell my mother   
everything, to tell her what I needed. Someone who loved me ...  
  
But when Zidane came along, this changed everything. I found the one I had   
been searching for, the one that had loved me, and I him; the one who loved me for who   
I was. He was kind to everyone, as I tried to be the same as he was ... warm hearted,   
with an open mind, and always ready for anything. I found this difficult to do, for I was   
the complete opposite of him, and this was hard to adjust to.   
  
But, now that I've found the one I've searched for ... I'm at a dead end again.  
  
I can't tell him how I feel ... 


	3. Wonders

Wonders  
by K.S.  
(from Vivi's pov)  
  
Magic was a gift to me, a long time ago, before I remember seeing the   
sun, the world. I had been brought to the world with this present, I myself having an   
inborn power to cast spells. Needless to say, I'm different from my friends, such   
as Zidane and Garnet ... But, as different as we are, the three of use share something   
similar to that of a love between a family of close friends. The feeling is returned;   
they care for me, and I, for them. Zidane and I are the same because neither of us  
know who we are, and are searching for the answer, yet we're different because   
of personailty. He's outgoing and bold, while I tend to be quiet and shy.  
  
The same for Garnet ... she also feels magic as I do, yet she is now   
unsure of who she is. Although she would never admit this, I know the truth ...   
I'm glad she's here with us though, because she always seems to catch me when   
I'm about to fall. Zidane is the one to tell me that everything is fine, the one to   
push me on with encouragment. Garnet does this too, but in a different way ... she   
seems to shield me from horrible things which she herself has seen, and doesn't   
want the same for me ...  
  
I recall the way they had both cared for me in Dali, when they both   
asked me how I was...Was I okay ... Garnet had been the one to take me in her   
arms, although not really, she had done so in my mind. Zidane had also told me   
things to make myself stronger, to stand up to those who wanted to order me to   
do things ... As in the Black Mage Village, the inhabitants had asked repeatedly   
what Zidane and Garnet wanted. They had assumed that they desired their magic,   
that they were dangers to the enviroment of the village... but then they saw me ... And  
told me that I was 'aware.' What on earth ... ?  
  
However, the thing that makes me wonder the most is how and why   
mages like myself were being ... made. Assembled like toys in a factory, I watched   
them swish by in the Underground storage in the village of Dali, seeming as cold and   
still as a mere child's doll. Their eyes were gaunt and blank, not seeming to see anything   
that crossed their path.  
  
As I remember trying to talk to some of them on the airship, they never turned   
to answer, and they just kept ignoring me, seeing through me as if I were never there. I   
had wanted to see others like me, with the pointed hat ... the yellow eyes ... the curled   
staff ... and the simple casting of magic at the wave of a hand.  
  
And when I think this way ... I always wonder ...  
  
Who am I ... ?  
  
I wonder at these things because my past is clouded and mysterious;   
seeing how I can't look back is not a comfort to me. Events that have happened   
remind me that the same mistake can not be made twice ... Consequences of wise   
and foolish actions are there to haunt and to help. Such as the airship to Lindblum,  
where we ran into a third Black Waltz ... the creature's cruelty had destroyed those   
that were like me, and I remember watching, with my hands pressed against the glass,   
as they were thrown down. Like dolls they were tossed from the explosion of the   
Waltz's magic, as they tumbled down through the ocean of blue ...and I remember   
watching a hat, the same as my own, caught on the rail of that ship ...  
  
Caught by the wind's blowing breath ...  
  
I can remember how lonely it looked. How sad it was ...  
  
Just like me ... 


	4. Ashes to Ashes

Ashes to Ashes  
by K.S.  
(from Freya's pov)  
  
The irony of the events in Clerya was too much to bear, hearing   
again his voice, seeing his face, feeling his prescence. All of these things were   
a blessing, except only that he wasn't the Fratley I had known. He had forgotten   
me, forgot how important he was to me, to my life. Years ago he had said that   
he would return to me, and he kept this promise, just not the way I had wanted,   
the way I had planned it. Fratley had returned to me during the fall of Cleyra, the   
time which I had sworn that I wouldn't fail them as I had Burmecia ... The surrender  
of my Kingdom to the hands of the corrupted Brahne were too much to take that   
day, and I had fallen myself ...  
  
I was and still am eternally grateful for the friends I had with me that  
fateful day, when Cleyra had fallen, as Burmecia had days before. Two great   
nations, both shattered as panes of glass do when a stone is thrown savagely in anger.   
Zidane had been there to pull me back when I had thought of giving up after Fratley had  
returned ... He had refused to hear such a thing from me; and he also had refused  
to let me give up on myself. He had pushed me on with encouragment, as he did  
Vivi. The mage had also given me consolation, though quietly and the opposite of  
Zidane's way.  
  
After the general of Alexandria's army had realized the truth of what her  
actions were doing, she joined me in the fight against Brahne... Beatrix risked her own  
life to save Garnet, and for this, I'll always admire her bravery. I do remember her   
words to me in the rainy relam of Burmecia, the way her tone had given the impression  
that her heart was cold; that it showed no mercy for her victims. Beatrix had told us  
that she had slain a hundred knights single-handedly ... I believe those words because  
when she challenged us, Zidane and I, Vivi and Quina ... when we lost ... she also  
crushed my spirit. My will to save Burmecia had been strong; stronger than the spirits  
of the hundred knights that Beatrix had done away with. She had said we were weak ...  
And it may have been true, but not in spirit. Our spirit and will were stronger and   
surpassed any thought that Beatrix might have given us as a compliment. She didn't  
care.  
  
Cleyra was almost a savior to me; knowing that the King of Burmecia,  
my home, had survived, was enough to make me try again to get back up and face  
the world once more. I remember five years ago, when I had left the place I called  
home to go out in to the world, and unknowingly search for the love I had lost long ago ...  
I had been left with rumors; rumors of what had once been a phoenix, but then were ashes.  
But the meaning of the word 'phoenix' is to rise again from the ashes ...In the legend of   
the bird, every so many years it would burst into flames and turn to ashes ... Then it  
would once again rise anew to greet a new life. Ashes to ashes.  
  
Fratley had urged me to be strong while I watched him leave to the   
outside, to watch while he greeted the wonders of the world with open arms. He had  
embraced them, while I did not ... The knight which I had known told me that he would  
return to me one day, and told me to be strong ... How could I have thought this was  
a lie when his voice was comfident, when he told me that all was well? I remember   
when he turned his back to me, his eyes smooth but filled with sorrow, and walked on  
to what he had deemed 'destiny' ...  
  
At first I had thought it was a dream when I saw him again in Cleyra at   
the time that I had needed him; his prescence soft and innocent with the lost memories  
of the past, as soft as fallen angel's wings. At first his standing in the room seemed to  
be laced with a forgotten love that had once blossomed like a rose in the spring; the  
love which I had remembered every night before I prayed to the heavens above to  
return him safely to me ... I suppose they answer all prayers, we just don't like some  
of the answers that return to us. Fratley had been brought to Cleyra by an unknown  
force of a forgotten past ...   
  
The phoenix, rising anew, had raised its beautiful head in Fratley's life ...  
  
For he had forgotten me ...  
  
And I had returned to the ashes to search for some memory, a trace of  
comfort ...  
  
Ashes to ashes ... 


End file.
